News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-07-07

INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
JLUY 10.


| INTRODUCTION.
Matthew alone records this part of our
Lords life. This he does in harmony with
| the plan of his Gospel. ChriSt's life and work
are the heart of Old Testament prophecy. Its
| fulfillment i'll him in most unexpected ways;
often through the malice of wicked men, is
an argument for tho inspiration of the Script
ures We may see in to-day's lesson how
God can watch over his Church even in its
times of greatest danger.
THE LESSON.
VS. 1915. The angel, etc.-This expression
i'll the Old Testament generally refers to the
angel Jehovah, the Second Person in the God
head Strictly speaking, here it is an angel
in the ordinary sense of that term, and refer
ence seems to be to the angel Gabriel who
luke l., 26) appeared to Mary to announce
the birth of the Lord. The word angel
means simply messenger So used, it is
applied to prophets, to persons, and even to in
animate oh ;ects-tO any person or thing which
accomplishes Gods will. But in this applica-
ton it is limited to a race of Eeings of SUI
perior intelligence and holiness. who did
Gods will by ministering to the heirs OF sal
walton. This messenger appeared now to 10
seph in dream. Tho case is peculiarly urg-
ent; there must be no delay. Immediately;
therefore, he arose and took the young child
the child, according to the usual scriptural
method, is again mentioned frst-and his
mother. Egypt was at tlis time inject to the
Romans, but it was not under the control of
Herod. 1t had been for centuries familiar to
the Hebrews. The way was easy The Jews
were numerous there, and had SynagOgueS
there. Here the translation of the Old Testa-
ment into the Greek made; here the
philosophers of the Gree S and Jews came
into contact. 1t is certainly remarkable that
iii the land where the people of God had Suf-
fered, the Son of God should find protection.
During the lifetime of Herod they might not
return, but his death occurred probably soon
after their fight The prophecy here cited is
from Hosea XII, l, Its primary application IS
to Israel in Egypt, but in the child Jesus it
has its complete fulflment. Israel was called |
Gods son, Coils first-born. There are many
points of similarity between Christ and Israel |
in Egypt. In him all types aud prophecies
find their completion Near the site of the |
Egyptian temple is tho traditional place of
Christs temporary residence in Egypt.
VS.. 16-lS. The massacre of the limo ,ents. |
To Matthew we are indebted for this evi- |
dcnce of Herod'S cruelty and Gods PROV |
ideDce. The wise men did not return to |
HerO1 1t soon dawned upon him that he |
1cas Knocked, l. e., treated with discou tesy; |
i'll word, that he had been "outwittcd, |
made fool of" as LANCE expresses it. This |
was not the design of the wise men, but it I'M |
doubtedly was the conclusion to which Herol |
came. Two motives now influenced his con- |
duct: first, he would crafty his wrath |
against the wise men; and second he would |
Re sure of destroying the child Jesus. All |
the chHdren-all the boys. This is the true |
meaning of the word Male children alone he |
desired to slay-not only those in Bethlehem, |
but also in the vicinity the adjacent districts |
THO years old and under-It is difficult to |
decide on the exact length of time here in
dictated. 1t may mean all under two years.
or all who were entering the second year |
If Matthew adopted the usual Jewish method |
of reckoning, as it is likely he did. he would |
reckon a child who had just passed the |
second year as two years old. Herod would |
judge of the age of Christ from the time the |
star appeared. But the number of children |
slain could not have been great. Bethlehem |
was small town. Its vicinity was not |
populous DR.. Hackett, as quoted by |
Dr. &. w. Clark, supposes the |
whole number was not more than |
twelve or fifteen. Enemies of the gospel have |
seized upon this incident as if it were an ut
terly improbable record Many questions
also have been started by it. 1t has been sup |
posed by some that thousands of children |
were slain This act of cruelty was quite in
harmony with Herod'S character, and it took |
place TO jably shortly before his death. We |
need net be surprised that Josephus pa Sses it
over in silence. The chief interest to us is in
its connection with the childhood and pr2ser-
walton of Jesus. In the sorrow which re
evangelist finds the fulflment of the
prophecy in a secondary sense. |
Rdmo.-A city about six miles north of |
Jerusalem; not Ramah in the land of |
Ephriam, where Samuel was born and |
buried This prophecy is typical It's prin- |
and their assembling at Rama previous to |
being taken to Babylon. Rachel the mother
of Joseph and Benjamin, is dramatically re- |
presented as rising from her tomb near |
Bethlehem, and weeping for her children, |
and her voice is heard in Rama. HerodS |
deed fills Bethlehem with similar outcries of |
grief.
VS.. 9-23. The holy family returns from
EgyDt.-Again Matthew is alone in the rec |
ord here given. Herod is now dead. His |
death occurred at Jericho in the seventieth |
year of his age and the thirty-seventh of his |
reign as the result of loathsome disease |
The time is fixed by an eclipse of the MOON |
which occurred in the seven hundred and fif- |
tietl year of Rome, or four years before the |
beginning of our era. Again the angel APP
pears in dream to Joseph, and urges him |
to return to the land of Israel They are
deGd-Not Herod alone, but those who aitled
him in the diabolical work; especially his son
Antipater, who was her appal ent, and who
would gladly seek the destruction of a rival
heir. 1t is said that five days before Herod
died he had his son, who had aided him in
the death of his two elder brothers, put to
death The return from Egypt was thus
brought about. The so journ must have been
short. Archelaus received half the kingdom
on the death of Hero1. His title eth
march. The other half of the kingdom was
divided between Philip and Antipas, each re
ceiving the title of tetrarch, or governor OF
tho fourth part After nine years the Roman
emperOrAuguStuS shed ArchelauS because
of his cruelty. He slew 5000 Jews at once i'll
the temple at the beginning of his reign. No
longer had Judea native King. The sceptre
had departed. The sacred soil was immedi-
ately under the feet of mighty Rome, with
Governor whose headquarters were in Cas-
area. He lCds Gfrdid-The presence of
Archelaus alarmed Joseph. Again he was
instructed by God in a dream, and he turned
aside into Galjlee, and dwelt in city called
Nazareth. Four times Joseph was honored
by a revelation of Gods will. Pales-
tine was divided into three parts
Galilee on the north, Samaria i'll the cen
tire and Judea in the south. In
Galilee Joseph would be safe under Herod
AntipaS, who was gentle and kind as COM
pared with ArchelauS Nazareth means
branch; there the Branch was to grow up
1t a small city under the hills of lower
Galilee, about seventy miles north of Jerusa-
lem and midway between the Jordan and
the Mediterranean. 1t was situated on the
side of the hill. The place was not even
named in the Old Testament, nor mentioned
by JOsaDhuS. 1t was not harsh critic, but
the excellent Nathaniel, who asked Can
there any good thing come out of Nazareth"
Nnzarene- is much difficulty in eX-
planning this word. The word itself does not
appear in the Old Testament. The best ex-
PLANTATION probably is that Matthew does not
intend to refer to any one prophecy. he has
in mind the general language of the prophets
in regard to Christ as the Branch, and espe-
cially regarding his despised condition among |
men. That condition swell set forth by his
being called the NaZarene. All that the |
prophets had said regarding Christ's humil-
ity would find its illustration in that
despised term The evangelist concentrates
these various prophecies in that one word,
Nazarene. To-day it is a word of honor.
The despised town is held in everlasting re-
membranCe Jesus gave it something of his
own glory and exaltation.
POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED.
l. God still watches over the Church, and
guards even his youngest and weakest dis
ciples from the wileS of their foes.
2 Safety is found only in implicit obedi-
ence to the divine command.
g. The enemies of God are also enemies of
one another, and will hasten their own de-
struction. God thus makes the wrath of men
to praise him.
T. Believers must be identified with Christ
in his lowly life at Nazareth, that they may
be prepared to share his glory in the New
observation-disclosures school World.
The Social Problem.
President SeeIye, of Amherst College,
preached the baccalaureate Sermon taxing for
his subject understanding of the Times"
,l,o oil ha mis- 10 which liza |